Recently in Productivity Category

I saw this on Kottke the other day and it got me thinking about my office. The thesis is that ceiling heights affect a person's thoughts, creativity, and emotions. My job, while perhaps the most creative at my employer, is still a bit stifling for me. I get to explore, but only within a tightly limited sphere. Contrast that with my physical office, which is an open work-group style space (no cubicles, yay!) with 18-20 foot ceilings. Is my mind subconsciously rebelling against the boundaries of my job because the ceilings are so high? Hmmm...improbable but a fun explanation.

A bit over a month ago, I challenged myself to abandon Mail.app and switch to Gmail for at least a month. Ross did this years ago, so I'm a bit behind the curve, but in any case I'm happy to report that the experiment was a great success. I haven't missed Mail.app once during the past month and a half. Gmail with Notifier is as efficient as having a local client. Of course, what was missing was a simple solution for making data available offline. And then Google came out with Desktop for Mac, which has the ability to index your Gmail account alongside your desktop results. I know there's some debate as to whether that's even necessary in our increasingly connected world, but I think for the next few years local caching will continue to be a requirement for base applications like e-mail.

The launch of Google Desktop for Mac reminds me to begin an experiment I've been wanting to run for a while now. As much as people applaud Mail.app, I've never liked it. I'm a recent switcher and I'm forced to use Outlook 2003 at work, so that might contribute, but I just don't think I will get used to Mail.app.

So, for the next month I'm switching solely to Gmail, using Google Desktop and Notifier to keep me connected via my Macbook. I think it will actually be a big usability improvement for me as I'll have a single integrated view of my e-mail whether at home, on my Blackberry, or on my work PC.